


Roisterous

by unwindmyself



Series: curious shapes shift in the dark [69]
Category: True Blood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Fix-It, Multi, Vampire Family, agency and choices!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 20:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3222875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first guests of the night start to filter in and, directly or indirectly, provide insight on some of the family's relationships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roisterous

**Author's Note:**

> Part two, "Angel At My Table."
> 
>  **Original Characters** : Noël Beringer, Tiffany Babineaux, Brandon Daly, Heather Rosen, Josh Taylor, Brittany Hewitt, Ghaliya Kazdaghli, Asra Amirmoez, Isi Hill

Doors open in exactly two minutes, which means that everyone has assumed positions as formally and rigidly as if they were posing themselves in a life-sized dollhouse.  Noël is at his DJ booth already starting to spin (much to Jessica and Willa’s delight and causing the older vampires’ resigned sighs, the song he’s chosen as setting-the-mood music for their 90s party is an instrumental track from the soundtrack to _The Little Mermaid_ ) and Tara is behind the bar preemptively straightening glasses and bottles; Pam is stationed at the front door, ready to collect admission, and Jessica is perched on a table near the dance floor, ready to bounce rowdy guests; Eric is sprawled out in his throne and Nora is perched on one of the arms with her legs sprawled out across Eric’s lap. 

And Willa, as the evening’s organizer, is bouncing around the room tending to every last little detail.

“We shoulda set up a VIP thing,” she exclaims, frowning at a cluster of tables along one wall.  “Maybe next time?”

Tara snorts.  “Next time the bar is open, it’s open for good, not for a private party,” she says.

“Well, there should be a VIP thing somewhere here.  Ain’t there a back room we could use?”

Eric and Pam exchange amused glances.  “There’s the dungeon,” Eric drawls.

“Oh, that’s for _very_ very important people,” Pam chuckles.

Willa puts her hands on her hips.  “You’re making fun of me,” she pouts.

“I’m pretty sure they’re doin’ that with love,” Tara says kindly.

“Midnight!” Willa shouts as the alarm on her phone goes off. 

“Goody,” Pam drawls as her little sister springs for the door.

The first guests through the door are wide-eyed college students, those there by Jessica’s invitation or there by the invitation of those there by Jessica’s invitation, and after Pam flashes fang at them (they’re practically expecting it, and they all coo and giggle excitedly-nervously) they skip over to say hello to her.

“Do you know those?” Nora asks Eric in a whisper, all but sniffing her disapproval of them (it’s just that they’re so _normal_ , they’re dressed as what even she can identify as sexy Pokémon and in her opinion, Jessica is better than that).

Eric laughs low, wrapping an arm around his sister’s waist.  “Jealous?”

“No,” she huffs.  “They’re just trite.”

“They’re customers,” he shrugs.  “I assume they must be friends from her brief-lived wannabe co-ed phase.”

“They look like skanky assholes,” she snarks, rolling her eyes.

“Be nice,” he cautions, sounding almost amused.

“Well, they do,” she grumbles.

“Guys!” Jessica exclaims, appearing in front of the throne with her crowd of hangers-on.  “Guys, I want y’all to meet Eric Northman.  He owns this place.”

Pam coughs loudly from the other side of the room, startling the guests she’s just stamping in.

“Co-owns,” Jessica corrects.

Pam coughs again.

“Okay, he’s the symbolic owner, whatever,” Jessica says exasperatedly.

“Who’s the babe?” one of the guys, the one dressed as a chippendale version of Charmander, asks, looking Nora over appreciatively.

Of course, that makes Eric tighten his hold on her possessively and makes her drop fang, all but growling at him.

“That’s Nora,” Jessica says, smiling apologetically first at her friends and then at her whatever-they-are-that’s-more-than-friends.  “She’s, uh. Eric’s sister.”

“Sister?” one of the girls, pinup Pikachu, asks.

“I think they mean that the Lannister way,” another girl, a Folliesesque fox… thing (Nora makes a note to ask what that one’s called, even she can’t keep track of every silly little monster), mutters snarkily.

 “What the hell is a Lannister?” Eric whispers to Nora. He wouldn’t care except for the way it’s making her snicker.

“Anyway,” Jessica says loudly before there’s a chance for that to continue, “Eric, Nora, this is Josh and Brittany and Brandon and Tiffany and Heather.”

“Pleased,” Eric says, all laconic charm. “You know, princess, this isn’t the mafia, you don’t need to bring your guests before me for a blessing.”

Jessica rolls her eyes and the sexy Squirtle, identified as Heather, says, “We just wanted to meet you. my big sister Crystal used to come here and she said you were cool.”

“I don’t remember your big sister Crystal, but I’m sure she’s as lovely as you,” Eric says, smiling in his patently devil-may-care dashing smile.

Nora makes a retching noise.

“Definitely the Lannister way,” Follies fox, Tiffany, observes.

“Noël!” Willa shouts across the way. “There’s enough people, get some dance music going!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Noël calls back, hitting a button and filling the space with the sounds of… 'N Sync.

“Oh my god, why,” Pam groans.

“ _Chérie,_ you seem distraught,” a low voice purrs.

Pam whirls around to see Ghaliya and Asra behind her, wearing clearly-impromptu approximations of Xena and Gabrielle’s costumes (of course Pam knows and appreciates the reference, it was only the gayest inexplicitly gay show ever), complete with blonde wig in Asra’s case.

“Not all of us can Sapphically attack our problems,” Pam smirks, pulling each woman into her arms for a kiss hello.

‘Won’t your progeny be jealous?” Asra asks, voice lilting. “All loving as you are now.”

“It’s not like I slipped you tongue,” Pam drawls. “She’s behind the bar if you wanna clear it with her, though.”

“Goody,” Asra giggles. “Promise we won’t embarrass you in front of her. Much.”

‘What about your pretty little waif of an aunt?” Ghaliya asks, scanning the room.

“Sitting in my father’s lap like they’re magnetized and making eyes at a baby ginger,” Pam murmurs coolly. “I think she’s off the table tonight, sorry, honey.”

Ghaliya pouts rather obviously. “Well, that takes the fun out,” she says. “Do we have our pick of the rest of the consenting adults?”

“My little sister is off the table,” Pam says, nodding to Willa as she flits around the bar. “And there’s a handful of fairies coming, they’re off too.”

“Fairies?” Asra asks eagerly. “Where did you find those, anyway?”

“They found us,” Pam says, shrugging. “It’s a situation.” Meaning not one she wants to discuss.

“Hey, are you gonna take our money or not?” a bored female voice calls from the line.

“Go, play hostess,” Ghaliya says, waving Pam off.

Pam obliges, and the other two women saunter toward the bar. So far, there aren’t too many guests at the counter; some groups have claimed booths and formed on the dance floor, but there are enough empty stools that the two women can slide up unhindered.

“Oh, _Taaa_ -ra,” Asra singsongs, waving the younger vampire over.

Tara wanders up, raising an eyebrow. “You must be Pam’s friends,” she deadpans.

“And you must be her new cupcake,” Asra smiles.

“She warned me that you two were gonna be weird,” Tara says, not altogether unhappily. “We’ve got an okay stash of TruBlood, y’all wanna split a bottle?”

“O positive, if you’ve got it,” Ghaliya says. She drops her voice to add, “We’re really more for live donors when possible, though.”

“Respectfully,” Asra adds, twirling her fake blonde hair around her finger.

“Should I put out a memo?” Tara deadpans.

There’s not a chance to continue, though, as she’s soon nudged in the shoulder by her cousin, who’s all smiles and a surprising lack of flash (his costume, such as it is, consists of baggy jeans, a baggier flannel, a reflective vest like he might have stolen from his sometimes-job on the road crew, and a knit hat).

“Need help back here?” Lafayette asks.

“This fellow bothering you?” Ghaliya asks, because that’s what you do, you look out for a friend’s girlfriend when said friend isn’t around.

Tara rolls her eyes, laughing. “Lafayette, these are friends of Pam’s,” she says. “Ghaliya, Asra, this’s my cousin Lafayette.”

“The medium!” Asra exclaims.

“Do all you just whisper about that shit?” Lafayette asks, though he’s not particularly upset about it.

“It’s fascinating,” Asra enthuses. “You’ll have to tell us absolutely everything.”

“Maybe some other time,” Lafayette says.

Tara eyes him appraisingly. “Y’know, I think this might be the first time in our adult lives that I’m wearin’ more sparkle than you,” she says.

“Might be,” Lafayette agrees. “You oughta more often, though. You can work it.”

“She can,” echoes Isi, who’s appeared on Ghaliya’s other side and is smiling a dazzling smile.

“ _Ohmygod_ ,” shouts Willa, speeding up to the bar and looking from Lafayette to Isi and back. “That is so fuckin’ cute!”

“I’m missin’ something,” Tara says.

Willa throws arms around Isi’s shoulders, grinning. “They’re Collins and Angel from _Rent_ , ohmygod, y’all are so precious,” she coos. “Brae told me you were flirting but I didn’t realize –”

“Where’s she, anyway?” Lafayette interrupts to ask, feeling more comfortable discussing anything other than his maybe-love life in front of strangers. “I know the night’s just gettin’ started but I’d’ve thought the fairies’d be the first ones here, since y’all are all… consensually bonded and shit.”

Willa pouts. “They’re coming,” she says. “They’re not _not_ coming, anyway!”

“Young love,” Ghaliya says to Asra. “How charming.”


End file.
